Catalytic converters regularly employ a housing or canister, a catalytic substrate material and an intumescent mat placed between the canister and the substrate to hold the substrate in place and insulate the canister from the heat of the substrate during operation. Many different methods of wrapping the mat around the substrate exist and many different thicknesses and densities of these mats are designed into different catalytic converters.
Typical prior art methods for wrapping the substrate material around the catalytic substrate use a single thickness of mat material. This is true whether a single layer of mat is employed or multiple layers of mat are used. The method works extremely well and is reliable but is expensive to manufacture from the standpoint of material. Because lower housing temperatures are increasingly desirable, thicker intumescent mats are being employed on a regular basis. Additionally, more dense mat is being used to prevent erosion of the edges of the mat while the catalytic converter is in service. With thickness and density comes higher expense. Avoiding expense increase is therefore a desirable interest.